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MTV defends upcoming 'Jersey Shore' Italian-American reality show

By Christopher Rocchio, 11/27/2009

MTV has defended its upcoming Jersey Shore reality series after a national service organization expressed anger at the way it would portray Italian-Americans.

"The show continues MTV's history of documenting various subcultures, rites of passage of young people, and the ways they self-identify," said an MTV spokesperson in a statement obtained by New Jersey's Star-Ledger.

"The Italian-American cast takes pride in their ethnicity. We understand that this show is not intended for every audience and depicts just one aspect of youth culture."

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Jersey Shore will follow a group of young people as they live and work on the Garden State's shoreline, with MTV billing the cast some of the "hottest, tannest, craziest Guidos."

Earlier this week, UNICO -- the country's largest Italian-American service organization -- claimed Jersey Shore's content is offensive to Italian-Americans and added the show should be pulled from the air prior to its December 3 premiere.

UNICO president Andre Dimino specifically had a problem with the use of the term "Guido" -- which he saw as derogatory -- and added MTV is "more interested in making money than how they're offending a great group of people."

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